Thirty-three

“Mr. Everett, tell me, did the Rooster offload her cargo when she was in port?” Dare asked evenly, making an effort to keep his voice calm.

“I do not believe so.”

“Mr. Everett, think very carefully, for your answer may be the difference of your life or hanging from a yardarm. Did or did not the Rooster offload her cargo?”

Everett paled at the seriousness of his comment. “No, they did not. At least, not that I noticed.”

“Let us hope you are right. All hands, prepare to come about.”

“But…what are we…?”

Dare glared at Everett, who stifled the question. He passed on the order, and the men, though confused, obeyed. Dare feared they were more curious than faithful, but it would have to do. He took one last, fleeting glance at the Kestrel on the horizon. He did not wish to let go of his one chance, but given the choice, he would protect his Emma.

Hold on, Emma. Keep fighting. I’m on my way.

“All hands, come about!” shouted Dare.

Lord, please protect her. Keep her safe. And please let that hold be full! It was the first prayer he had said in a very long time. For some reason, he believed God might hear him now, for God would surely want to help Emma. Emma trusted the Lord, and Dare trusted Emma, thus Dare’s sudden turn to faith.

The ship turned more sloppily than Dare would have liked, but it was done, and they began sailing toward the Rooster.

“All hands to quarters!”

Everett saw it done but came close to whisper, “What are we doing, Cap’n?”

“I will ensure the record shows that you have counseled me against this,” said Dare, striding to his cabin to secure his sword and a brace of pistols.

“Against what?” asked Everett, strapping on his own sword and pistol, and following Dare back onto the deck.

“Mr. Bean,” Dare called to the older man who had been made master gunner. “Run out your gun and prime.”

“You want me to shoot on an English ship?” Even Tom Bean was shocked.

“I expect you to follow orders.”

Everett’s eyes widened. “Cap’n Dare—”

“Duly noted, Mr. Everett,” said Dare to his first mate in an undertone. He turned and continued to shout orders to the master gunner. “Let’s get the attention of the Rooster. Aim out to sea. Fire!”

A loud boom echoed across the water, and smoke rolled down the deck. He was committed now.

“Hail the Rooster and tell her to drop sail and prepare to be boarded,” commanded Darington.

“Heaven’s bells, we’re still within sight of the shore,” pleaded Everett.

“Can’t be helped.”

“They ain’t slowing,” called Pricket. “Making a run for it.”

“Put one over the bow, if you please, Mr. Bean,” said Dare calmly, hoping his crew were better gunners than sailors.

A loud blast rocked the ship and a cannonball sailed across the deck of the Rooster, splintering a railing and causing the captain and crew to hit the deck.

“I said over the bow, Mr. Bean,” growled Dare.

“Sorry, Captain!”

“Well, at least we have his full attention,” Dare muttered. “Put us alongside her. Prepare to board.” Dare raised an eyebrow as his first mate crossed himself. “Wasn’t aware you were a Papist.”

“I’m not, but I’m thinking of converting. You’ve gone mad.”

Dare was not surprised his first mate was baffled by this sudden attack on the Rooster. It was so out of character for himself he hardly knew what he was doing. He wanted to explain about Emma, but for her own privacy and reputation, he could not say a word.

His mercenary crew, on the other hand, nodded and smiled. Perhaps they were even a bit impressed. They had been promised evil deeds, but none had anticipated their dive into criminality would proceed quite so quickly and without even leaving sight of the shore.

The Rooster dropped her sails.

“I’m Captain Grimes of the Rooster. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” demanded the captain, who stormed back and forth, a trickle of red blood down the right side of his face. Had they done that or Emma?

Dare grasped his sword with a viselike grip. If Emma was hurt, Captain Grimes would die. “I am Captain Lord Darington of the Lady Kate. By the right of the King, I demand you allow me to board and inspect your ship for contraband. Refusal will be taken as an act of aggression and I will respond accordingly.”

“You got no right to board this ship!” yelled the captain.

It was the truth, but Dare proceeded anyway, bringing them alongside the Rooster. “Surrender your ship!” Dare had no idea if they would put up a fight, but he was ready for anything. The only thing worse than being a pirate was to be a bad one.

Whatever happened, he would get Emma to safety. Nothing else mattered. She had been dragged belowdecks and he had not seen her again. If any one of those dogs was inconveniencing her in any manner, he had no qualms over killing them.

“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Captain Grimes, wiping the sweat and the blood from his face. “This is an outrage!”

“Surrender your ship!” Dare demanded again.

“Have ye gone mad? Aye, I surrender. I surrender! But I swear the admiralty courts will hear of this!”

Dare turned to his crew, who lined the railing of his ship, ready for him to give the order to attack. From the glint of glee in their eyes, they were ready for a fight. “The Rooster has surrendered. Anyone who does not respect this surrender will be strung up from the yardarm.” The last thing he needed was a fight between the crews. “We are going to board the Rooster and take her cargo, and we’re going to do it without violence. Is that clear?”

This disappointed his crew, but they grudgingly nodded their heads.

“Prepare to board!” commanded Dare.

When it came to boarding ships, his questionable crew was well skilled. Grappling hooks flew, and they neatly pulled the ship to theirs. Dare jumped on board, followed by his boarding party. He towered over the sweating Captain Grimes.

“I am Captain Lord Darington,” said Dare coolly. “I have reason to believe you are in possession of goods smuggled from our sworn enemy, France.”

“I… That is a lie… You cannot board this ship!” spat Grimes.

“I have already boarded this ship. I have the right to search and seize any goods smuggled into the country and to take the captain back to face justice.”

“I… But…” the captain sputtered, his face turning a shade of magenta and then slightly green. Dare might have had sympathy for the man had he not seen the man’s hands on his Emma.

“Search the ship!” Dare commanded and unleashed his swarm of unsavory characters. “No crew member or passenger is to be harmed.”

“You cannot do this,” said Captain Grimes, but he was much less sure of himself.

“The admiralty is concerned with flagrant disregard for the embargo. It has determined to increase patrols and bring captains who traffic in smuggling to justice.”

Captain Grimes turned a shade of sickly green.

“How many souls have you on board?” Dare asked the man quickly. “Have you any passengers?”

“There be forty crew and…and one passenger.”

“Where is this passenger?” Dare took a step closer, his hand on his pistol.

“What can this have to do with her?”

“She may be a witness to these proceedings. Where is she?” Dare demanded, his voice rising.

“Looks like there be crates of French wine in the hold,” shouted up a man.

“French wine?” Dare turned to Grimes.

“I…I can explain.”

“Save it for your trial. I shall arrest you on grounds of treason.”

“Treason!” The captain went almost as white as a sheet.

“Aye, unless I can speak to your passenger. Witness statement. Very important. Might be able to find extenuating circumstances in these cases.”

“I…I… But …”

Dare heard a female scream and pushed past the captain, catapulting himself down the hatch, toward the direction of the sound. He burst into the cabin to find Emma, wearing nothing but a thin chemise, fighting off one of his own men.

Dare grabbed the man, wrenching him from Emma and sending him flying out the door.

“But she’s the ladybird,” defended the man. “She was trying to jump from the window.”

“Remove yourself from my sight before I kill you!” Dare slammed the door in the face of the man.

Dare stared at Emma with a heart beating faster than he could ever remember. She was barely clothed. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

“Dare?” Emma gaped at him. “I…I am all right. How are you here?”

“Saw you on the deck and so I had to take the ship. Your clothes…”

“I was going to jump and try to swim for it, but I lost my nerve at the last second, and that man grabbed me.”

“You were going to swim?” His Emma was going to drown herself?

Emma shrugged “You were right. God doesn’t care.”

His heart sank. He took her hands in his, needing her not to abandon her faith that had given him strength. “No, no, you are the one who was right. I prayed today that I could see you safe.”

“You…prayed?”

“Yes. If you knew me better, you would know that to be a miracle itself. But now I need to keep you safe.”

“That man, he is on your crew?”

“Yes.” Dare realized that he could not walk her up to the decks and onto his ship. His own crew would mutiny to get their hands on her. He could hear more men outside the cabin door. No doubt the sailor had told others of Emma’s presence. He needed to keep her safe.

“Do you trust me?” Dare moved fast, seeing her trunk and opening it.

“I…I suppose so.”

He pulled out medical books and some other miscellaneous items to make room. This had to work. “Please do as I say and whatever you do, do not say a word.”

“But what are you—”

“Get in the trunk.”

“What?” She was half-dressed and confused, but he had no time to explain. He heard the voices of men outside the door.

“She’s in there!”

The shouts from the men were followed by the pounding of feet down the hatch.

“Damn!” swore Dare, and then wanted to curse again at himself, for Emma’s blue eyes were wide with fear. “Scream.”

“What? Why?” she asked, backing away from him.

“Scream!” he hissed and closed the distance between them and picked her up.

She yelped with surprise. He put her down feet first in the trunk and pushed. She screamed, the panic sounding all too real. He was frightening her and he hated himself, but he needed to keep her safe, and this was the best he could do.

“I will protect you. Not another sound,” he hissed in her ear and, with one final shove, closed the trunk. He grabbed the books he had taken from the trunk and threw them overboard with a decided plunk.

Dare rushed to the door and faced the men. “Quick! She jumped overboard. Do you see her?” he demanded.

“Jump? Why she do that?”

“Probably saw your ugly face,” replied another.

The men ran to the deck with calls of “man overboard” followed by “doxy overboard.”

“Get the cargo. Seize the wine!” demanded Dare. This was followed by whoops from the men, shouting and hollering.

“What did you do wi’ my company?” Captain Grimes appeared in the cabin door, huffing for breath.

“She is no longer your concern,” said Dare coolly. “I will be reporting your treasonous actions to the port authority. ’Tis possibly a hanging offense.”

The man put his hand to his throat. “Now I ain’t done anything worse than what many others have done. Why, the admiral himself likes a glass o’ wine.”

“Perhaps you will remind him of that fact once the rope is around your neck.”

“No, now, please, sir. I am an honest smuggler I am. I’ve got a family what depends upon me.”

“My condolences. I might be able to look the other way and not say a word if you will surrender your cargo and forget this ever happened.”

“Yes, sir. Very good, sir.”

“Remember, never speak of it, for if you do, I will have to make my full report.”

“Aye, Captain. Fully understand.” Captain Grimes mopped his face, wiping away the sweat and blood that trickled down.

“I will be taking the poor girl’s things too. Must be returned to her kin. Mr. Pricket, your hand with this chest.”

Dare heaved the chest and carried it with his crewman carefully over to his ship.

“This is a heavy chest,” said Pricket, his eyes gleaming with greed. “I wonder what’s inside?”

Dare needed to get Emma out of the chest and hidden somewhere without being seen. If his men knew he was concealing a half-dressed young woman on board, they would mutiny without thinking twice.